The Philadelphia 76ers are benefiting from being in the Atlantic Division, since no one else there has a winning record. As such, Sixers fans like myself can feel a little overconfident about their chances to win the division, although it could be a different story when they face better competition. But the Sixers are also fortunate to be in the Eastern Conference as a whole, as it is once again proving to be the inferior conference from top to bottom.

The lockout and the shortened season did a lot to alter things, yet one constant has remained the same. The Eastern Conference has the majority of poor NBA teams so far while the Western Conference is more stacked than usual. The Sixers just happen to be among the select few Eastern teams with winning records so far, rather than in the pack of losing teams for once.

As of Jan. 25, the Sixers are one of only six Eastern Conference clubs over .500, whereas 10 Western squads have a winning record. If this continues, two sub .500 Eastern teams will make the playoffs while two Western franchises over .500 will be left out. This seems to happen pretty much every season, however, and in spite of the lockout it is taking place right on cue again.

Although the New York Knicks are imploding and on the brink of getting Mike D’Antoni forced out, they would still make the playoffs as an eighth seed if the season ended today. In addition, the Boston Celtics would be the seventh seed in spite of a 7-9 record and speculation that most of their Big Three will be gone soon. Even the Cleveland Cavaliers remain a half-game back for the eighth spot despite a 6-10 record and some horrendous blowout losses last week.

The poor records of the No. 7 to No. 15 ranked teams in the East make the whole conference look bad – or make those on top look even better. Only the Sixers, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers look any good so far, and that may remain the case the rest of the season.

But given that the Bulls have the best record in the NBA, the Heat remain the championship favorite, the Magic are still contending with Dwight Howard and the Hawks, Sixers and Pacers are still improving, the East could still have more title contenders while the West devours itself. Since the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are flailing early while the Oklahoma City Thunder try to become championship ready, the West is a free-for-all right now.

The Sixers will have a much easier time making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, especially since they might even afford to make it with a losing or .500 record again. Of course, Philadelphia would like to get in with a much better record this time around.

Now that the Sixers have risen about the nine or so rotten/mediocre clubs left in the East, the next goal is to rise above the would-be contenders like the Hawks and Pacers and get to the Bulls, Heat and Magic’s level. Unfortunately, overtaking the Eastern Conference teams that are actually good is a much tougher task.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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The Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards have seen plenty of each other
the last two weeks. That’s no problem for the 76ers, who have had little trouble
in recent matchups.

Philadelphia will try for its fifth straight victory against Washington on
Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.

The Atlantic Division-leading 76ers have dropped two of three, including a
113-92 defeat at Miami on Saturday. While Philadelphia (11-5) didn’t have to
contend with Dwyane Wade, it allowed the Heat to shoot 54.3 percent and trailed
by as many as 21 points.

Louis Williams scored 22 points to lead five players in double figures, but
Andre Iguodala was held to a season-low four points and starting center Spencer
Hawes missed a third straight game with a left Achilles’ strain.

Rookie Nikola Vucevic, who started in Hawes’ place, strained his left knee
midway through the third quarter, although Philadelphia said he could have
returned. He had a season-high 13 points and nine rebounds.

“We hung around and fought there a little bit,” coach Doug Collins said.
“(Miami) wore us down.”

Hawes could return Monday when Philadelphia faces Washington for the third
time in 11 days. The Sixers swept a home-and-home series Jan. 13 and 14 by
scores of 120-89 at home and 103-90 on the road. Williams averaged 21.5 points
in those games.

Philadelphia has won four straight overall against the Wizards by an average
of 19.8 points.

The Sixers are eager to get a season-high seven-game homestand off to a good
start. Philadelphia is 7-1 on its own court, holding teams to 82.6 points, and
it will try to put up similar numbers in a favorable first half of the home
stretch. The first four games are against teams with losing records, including a
Washington club that is 0-6 on the road while shooting 38.0 percent and
averaging 82.3 points.

The league-worst Wizards (2-14) are trying to avoid a third straight loss.
They’ve given up at least 100 points in six straight, falling 100-94 to Boston
on Sunday.

John Wall had 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Nick Young
scored 19 points. Washington took an 84-83 lead with 6:06 remaining, but the
Celtics regained control with a 10-2 run.

Despite the loss, the Wizards feel they are taking steps in the right
direction. After the back-to-back defeats to Philadelphia, their last three
losses are by an average of six points.

“Ten days ago we weren’t competing at a high level,” coach Flip Saunders
said. “We’ve gotten to the point now we’re competing at a high level. Now we’ve
got to find a way to close out these games.”

Wall has been a big reason for the more competitive play. On Sunday, he shot
9 of 18, recording a double-double for the second straight game. The second-year
point guard is averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.4 assists the last five
games after scoring 12.8 points in his first 11 games.

With Wall playing better, the Wizards, one of the NBA’s lowest scoring teams
at 89.0 points per contest, have put up 102.3 in the last four.

By Kevin Kraczkowski

– Panthers Editor

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Jan 21, 2012 – The Miami Heat will be hosting the Philadelphia 76ers at the AA Arena tonight. It’s the first of four meetings this season between the two teams, and the first of two times they will play in Miami. The Heat are 5-1 at home, Philadelphia carries a 4-3 road record into the game. For the Heat, this is the third game of a five game homestand. They beat the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday with a 39 point third quarter, 120-98. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, 98-87. They continue the homestand on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks and on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 76ers just finished a three game homestand, going 2-1. After tonight’s matchup, they will begin a seven game homestand, concluding with an engagement with the Heat on February 3rd.

The two teams last met on April 27th of last season in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Miami posted a 97-91 victory in game five to advance to the Conference Semifinals, against the Boston Celtics. The Big Three all posted double doubles, as Dwyane Wade scored 26 with 11 rebounds and seven assists, Chris Bosh had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and LeBron James scored 16 with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Mario Chalmers added 20 for the Heat. Elton Brand and Andre Igoudala led the 76ers with 22 points each.

NBA Playoffs 2011: Phila Sixers Vs Miami Heat Game 5 Highlights (via NBAHiighlights)

Miami took down the Los Angeles Lakers, 98-87 on Thursday night. The Heat led by 21 points after three periods before relaxing down the stretch. LeBron James scored 31 with eight assists despite going home earlier in the day with an undisclosed sickness to lead Miami. Chris Bosh tossed in 15. Pau Gasol scored 26 to lead Los Angeles.

Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers [1.19.2012] (via CakesBerry)

The 76ers beat the Atlanta Hawks last night, 90-76 behind Jrue Holiday’s 16 points and 11 assists. Thaddeus Young added 20 off the bench. Elton Brand had 10 points and 16 rebounds. Willie Green scored 14 to lead Atlanta.

Game Time: 7:30 EST

Season Series: 0-0

All-Time Series: 41-50

Standings:

Miami Heat: 10-4, second in the Southeast Division, tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference, tied for fifth in the NBA.

Philadelphia 76ers: 11-4, first in the Atlantic Division, tied for second in the Eastern Conference, tied for third in the NBA.

Starting Lineups:

Miami Heat:

PG – Mario Chalmers

SG – Shane Battier

SF – LeBron James

PF – Chris Bosh

C – Joel Anthony

Philadelphia 76ers:

PG – Jrue Holiday

SG – Jodie Meeks

SF – Andre Igoudala

PF – Elton Brand

C – Nikola Vucevic

————————————————————–

Common Thread:

Neither team employs a player who has appeared with the other team.

Team Milestones:

James Jones needs two more 3-pointers to pass Jamal Mashburn into 14th with 211.

Four more 3-pointers will put Mario Chalmers at 305, passing Jason Williams into seventh.

Chris Bosh needs seven more free throws to pass Caron Butler into 19th, with 443.

With one more assist, Udonis Haslem will pass Rony Seikaly into 19th, with 574. Five more blocks will put him in 11th with 185, passing Brian Grant.

Team Leaders:

PPG:

LeBron James, 29.9

Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade,19.6

RPG:

Udonis Haslem, 9.4

Chris Bosh, 8.1

LeBron James, 7.9

APG:

LeBron James, 7.6

Dwyane Wade, 5.4

Mario Chalmers, 4.4

SPG:

Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, 2.0

Mario Chalmers, 1.7

BPG:

Dwyane Wade, 1.7

Chris Bosh, 1.0

Read More: Chris Bosh (F – MIA), LeBron James (F – MIA), Dwyane Wade (G – MIA), Mario Chalmers (G – MIA), Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers

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PHILADELPHIA (AP)—The Philadelphia 76ers flicked the switch in the third
quarter and swept past the Atlanta Hawks 90-76 on Friday in a clash of NBA
division leaders.

Jrue Holiday had 16 points and 11 assists, and Thaddeus Young scored 20
points for Philadelphia, which improved to 7-1 at home.

The Sixers left a dismal first half in the dust with a sensational third
quarter. Jodie Meeks hit a pair of 3-pointers and Andre Iguodala rocked nearly
18,000 fans with a pair of thunderous dunks during a 14-0 run.

Ex-Sixer Willie Green scored 14 points for the Hawks, who had been in
control and seemed on course for a fifth straight win until the 76ers found
their way.

———

BULLS 114, CAVALIERS 75

In Cleveland, Chicago made light of the absence of star Derrick Rose by
handing Cleveland its heaviest ever home defeat.

Luol Deng scored 21 points, and Carlos Boozer added 19 and 14 rebounds for
the Bulls, who barely missed reigning league MVP Rose, who sat out his third
straight game with a toe injury.

The 39-point margin was the most lopsided defeat ever inflicted on the Cavs
in Cleveland, surpassing 35-point losses suffered in 1990 and 2001.

It could have been worse. Chicago, which has the league’s best record at
14-3, led by 42 points in the fourth quarter when all the Bulls’ starters were
resting on the bench.

Anderson Varejao scored 14 points and rookie Kyrie Irving added 13 for the
Cavs.

———

TRAIL BLAZERS 94, RAPTORS 84

In Toronto, LaMarcus Aldridge had a season-high 33 points and a career-best
23 rebounds as Portland handed Toronto its seventh consecutive loss.

Raymond Felton scored 14 points as the Blazers won their seventh straight
over Toronto. Portland has not lost to the Raptors since 2006-07.

James Johnson scored a career-high 23 points for the Raptors.

———

NUGGETS 108, WIZARDS 104

In Washington, Al Harrington scored a season-high 29 points, making the
difference in Denver’s tight win over Washington.

Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson each had 21 for the Nuggets, who made it five
wins in six games despite the absence of Nene with a bruised heel.

Washington led 100-98 with 2:07 to play, before an equalizing basket then a
Harrington 3-pointer with 1:14 left to make it 103-98.

Nick Young’s 25 points led the Wizards, who dropped to a miserable 2-13.

———

SUNS 79, CELTICS 71

In Boston, Marcin Gortat scored 24 points with 12 rebounds to lead Phoenix
over Boston in a low-scoring encounter.

Steve Nash had 11 points and nine assists for the Suns.

Playing without point guard Rajon Rondo, the team’s most consistent starter
this year, the Celtics had their lowest-scoring game of the season. They lost
for the sixth time in seven games and fell to 0-4 against the Western
Conference.

Ray Allen led the Celtics with 14 points and six rebounds.

———

BUCKS 100, KNICKS 86

In New York, Brandon Jennings scored a season-high 36 points as Milwaukee
won on the road for the first time this season, beating New York.

The Bucks won for the sixth time in their last seven trips to New York,
where they outplayed a Knicks team that has lost five straight overall and is
quickly losing the support of its demanding fans.

Milwaukee dominated the second half behind Jennings, who loves to make the
Knicks pay for passing on him with the No. 8 pick in the 2009 draft.

Carmelo Anthony scored 35 points for the Knicks before he was ejected with
1:33 left after picking up his second technical foul.

———

GRIZZLIES 98, PISTONS 81

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Rudy Gay scored 24 points to help surging Memphis
hold off a second-half rally by Detroit.

Marc Gasol had 17 points for the Grizzlies, who have won five straight. They
led by 23 in the third quarter before the Pistons fought back, cutting the
deficit to six in the fourth.

Rookie guard Brandon Knight scored 22 points for Detroit, which has lost 10
of 11. The Pistons were without guards Rodney Stuckey (groin) and Will Bynum
(right foot), as well as forward Charlie Villanueva (right ankle).

It is still early in the season, but the Philadelphia 76ers are off to a decent 2-2 start. The 76ers have yet to play a home game but still sit in a first place tie in the Atlantic Division. Entering the season, very few people thought that the 76ers would have a shot at passing the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division. But based on how things have gone so far, I can’t see any reason why the 76ers shouldn’t be considered a division contender right now. As a 76ers fan, I think this team has as good a shot as any.

To be fair, it is way too soon to tell if the 76ers will finish ahead of Boston or New York. The Celtics are a team that knows how to turn it on when it matters. Meanwhile, the Knicks have enough talent to compete all season. But through the first few games, neither team looks any better than the 76ers. Boston is 3-3 and hasn’t beaten anyone good. Granted, they have been playing without Paul Pierce but this is still a team that looks their age. Boston is still the favorite, but based on this season alone I can’t say that they have done anything better than the 76ers.

Meanwhile, the Knicks are in even worse shape. The Knicks have lost three of their last four games. Two of those losses came against a couple of lottery teams in the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks were crushed by the same Golden State team that the 76ers crushed. Once again, New York has bona fide superstars in players like Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. You have to think they are better than what we have seen. But the same can be said for the 76ers. There is nothing to suggest that New York is a better team right now based on this season alone.

We will learn a lot more about the 76ers when their season opening road trip ends. This team hasn’t faced a conference foe yet so it is hard to say how they will measure up in the East. But based on what I have seen, the 76ers are every bit as much of a contender as Boston or New York. Time will tell and there is a lot of basketball to be played, but right now I like the chances of this young, close knit group.

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The Philadelphia 76ers are used to starting off slow, considering their 3-13 opening in 2010-11. But in a strike shortened year, Sixers fans like myself can kiss the season goodbye with a start like that. In fact, even a 0-2 start is fairly unsettling in a 66-game schedule, which makes the Sixers’ visit to the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 28 more important.

Philadelphia fell behind quick and couldn’t rally back over the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 26, which got a season of hopeful expectations off to an iffy start. However, the Blazers were a playoff team that won 48 games last season, so the Sixers weren’t opening against a bottom feeder. This time around, they are facing a Suns team that is in rebuilding mode and just suffered a last second defeat to the short handed New Orleans Hornets on Dec. 26 in their opener.

Beating Phoenix should help Philadelphia settle in as the season starts and as a five-game Western road trip starts to unspool. Yet a loss will drop the Sixers to 0-2 and be a cause for early concern. Of course, much more accomplished teams like the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers have started 0-2 already – although the Sixers are not the Celtics, Mavericks or Lakers.

The Suns are also trying to avoid an early slump – which is harder to overcome in a tougher conference like the West. While Philadelphia is trying to be a franchise on the way up, Phoenix is trying to avoid tumbling further down from its near-glory days. The days where Steve Nash was an MVP and the Suns barely missed out on the NBA Finals are looking further away. And since teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors are emerging from the Pacific Division basement, the Suns are in danger of tumbling further.

Still, the Blazers looked to be in trouble without a retired Brandon Roy and they still took pretty good care of the Sixers. Philadelphia is in the same boat as a lot of its opponents on its road trip, as teams like the Blazers and Suns are trying to climb up the middle of the Western pack. If the Sixers want to climb up the middle of the Eastern pack, they can’t wait too long to start winning.

3-13 starts are far from acceptable this season, as Philadelphia well knows. Even a 0-2 or 1-4 mark on this road trip could be a killer, especially since the Sixers are facing beatable opponents the rest of the way. Therefore, beating this opponent would go a long way to settling things down before they get a chance to become unsettled.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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The Philadelphia 76ers need a better start than last season to do anything in this year’s 66-game schedule. A 38-28 mark in last year’s final 66 games will hopefully reflect the 2012 Sixers more than the 3-13 start last season did. However, Sixers fans like myself once again had to see the team dig out of a poor beginning on opening night in Portland.

The Dec. 26 opener kicked off a five-game Western road trip against middle of the pack Western Conference teams. Out of those opponents, the Portland Trail Blazers are one of only two to have made the playoffs last year. Although the Blazers were pretty banged up and lost Brandon Roy to retirement, Portland still jumped all over Philadelphia early and didn’t look back en route to a 107-103 win.

Last year’s Sixers spent all of 2010-11 digging out of their early 3-13 skid and barely succeeding. In Portland, the 2011-12 campaign started with Philadelphia in an early 26-15 deficit after one quarter. Despite their best effort to climb out of it, the Sixers weren’t successful as the Blazers stayed comfortably ahead much of the way. While Philadelphia had its runs and ultimately had a chance to tie in the final seconds, too much damage had been done.

The inside game became an Achilles Heel, as the lack of big men for the Sixers cost them in the first half against the Blazers. Then when the lead shrunk in the second half, Portland’s outside game opened it up again and turned a 72-70 lead into 95-80 with several three-pointers. It took a 10 point run from Lou Williams to get Philadelphia within range at the end, yet it was Andre Igoudala who took the last shot and missed.

Seven out of eight Sixers who played scored in double digits, with only starter Jodi Meeks falling short in just 13 minutes of action. Yet four of those double-digit scoring Sixers just had 10 points, while Williams got most of his 25 in the final minutes and only Williams and Igoudala did anything beyond the arc. LaMarcus Aldridge did more with his 25 points to push the Blazers ahead, as did Gerald Wallace with his 16 points and Wesley Matthews with his three three-pointers.

Playing from behind most of the way can work for some teams, since they are capable of finishing off rallies. The Boston Celtics erased a 17-point first half deficit to challenge the New York Knicks on Dec. 25, before the Knicks made their own fourth quarter rally to win. But the Sixers are not on the Knicks’ and Celtics’ level yet, and they won’t be if they have to keep coming back from slow starts in both games and seasons. Hopefully it won’t take 65 more games for that lesson to sink in.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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The Philadelphia 76ers have a long history of success in the NBA. However, the team has had plenty of tough years. With Doug Collins entering his second season as the coach, there is reason for optimism again in Philadelphia. Collins certainly has the potential to be among the greatest coaches in team history. Obviously, he has a long way to go but I like his chances. Here is a look at the five most successful coaches in the history of the 76ers.

Billy Cunningham (1977-1985)

Cunningham oversaw some amazing 76ers teams. He posted a record of 454-196 during his time with the team. For the early 1980s, he had the 76ers competing admirably with the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The 76ers reached the NBA Finals three times between 1980 and 1983. They won the NBA title in 1983 with one of the greatest teams in Philadelphia history.

Al Cervi (1949-1957)

Cervi coached the franchise when it was known as the Syracuse Nationals. He won 294 games during his time with the franchise. Cervi led the team to an NBA title in 1955. Though he never coached the team when they were known as the Philadelphia 76ers, he did spend one season coaching the Philadelphia Warriors at the end of his coaching career.

Alex Hannum (1960-1968)

Hannum was on the bench for 257 wins during his time with the team. He spent three seasons coaching the Syracuse Nationals before leaving to coach the San Francisco Warriors. Hannum returned to the franchise when it was the Philadelphia 76ers in 1966. He led them to the NBA championship in 1967. In all, he spent five years with the team.

Larry Brown (1997-2003)

The famously nomadic coach spent six seasons with the 76ers. During his time, he built the team into a winner. In his second season, he snapped a long drought of losing seasons for the 76ers. By 2001, he had the team in the NBA Finals. Brown never won a title with the 76ers but he did have a nice run here. He won 255 regular season games.

Jim Lynam (1987-1992)

Lynam won 194 games during his five years with the team. He had three winning seasons with guys like Charles Barkley on the roster. However, the playoff success was minimal. Lynam’s last season with the team saw them finish with a 35-47 record. That started a huge slide for the 76ers that didn’t end until Brown took over.

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The new NBA schedule is out. For Philadelphia 76ers fans like me, there is a lot to like about the shortened schedule. Of course, there are also some drawbacks. Overall, I think fans will be pretty satisfied with the way the schedule stacks up for the team. Overall, I think the NBA did the 76ers a lot of favors in terms of appealing home games. Here are is my initial reaction to the new schedule for the team.

First of all, the schedule ensures the 76ers will have a tough start and a tough finish. The team will open and close with five straight road games. While I’m okay with a stretch like that to start the season, I’m not really keen on five straight road games to close the season. That could have major implications on the playoffs. I think the last few games should have been split up between games at home and on the road. This is easily my biggest gripe of the schedule.

The 76ers will also play on three consecutive nights twice during the season. They will play two home games on January 9 and January 10 before traveling to face the New York Knicks on January 11. The second three night stretch comes near the end of the season. The 76ers will play the Orlando Magic on the road on April 16 and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on April 18. They host the Indiana Pacers in between those games.

As for the teams coming to Philadelphia, there is little to complain about. The Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder will all visit Philadelphia during the season. The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will also visit the Wells Fargo Center twice. The teams not coming to Philadelphia are the New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Portland Trailblazers. In the grand scheme of things, those aren’t bad teams for fans to miss this season.

My only issue is that the 76ers only have one home game against the New York Knicks. I would have liked to have seen them play such an important division rival four times during the season. It bothers me that that is not the case but I suppose the NBA did this for a reason. But I really wish the league had made sure to take care of this rivalry.

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